Robin's pincushion

Isn't it a great name!!!! Robin's pincushion is actually a gall caused by the tiny larvae of a gall wasp - found on wild roses - this is in the hedgerow on our lane

photography by Angela Smith

rotting damsons - provide a feast

We went looking for speckled wood butterflies today - having arrived at the place in full sun, where I have seen plenty all week, not a single one appeared - we stood waiting to see one for a good five minutes or so and then caught a glimpse of one, so we moved on to where we saw it and found the reason why they weren't in their usual spot. They were feasting on rotting damsons...

we counted at least a dozen, several landed on me as I was taking the photos too and
others were landing on vegetation near by

An Autumn walk - along the hedgerow

Just a few pictures from today's dog walk

speckled wood

sloe

hawthorn

hazel

hazel

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hazel

damsons

Dragonfly encounters

Today's walk and the dragonflies stayed still for me!
Southern hawker

Common darter

Loynton Moss in Autumn

A lovely walk around Loynton Moss this afternoon, including a walk along the Shropshire Union canal

Shropshire Union Canal

reflections

The moss

Autumn leaves

Autumn colours

It is a wonderful time of the year to go out for a day with your camera, walking through a wood, kicking all the leaves, and enjoying all the Autumn colours. Unfortunately I haven't had the time when the weather has been good to do that, all I have managed so far this Autumn is to grab an hour when walking the dog up our lane, still there are plenty of Autumn colours to enjoy, even up our lane!

May be the weather will be kind at the weekend and I can get out with my camera again then.

Murmuration

This afternoon I decided to visit Aqualate Mere bird hide to watch the starling murmuration. I drive past Aqualate estate regularly in the afternoon and see groups of starlings flying over the road towards the mere, but I wasn't prepared for what I encountered. I had heard that I should expect to see around 250,000 birds but what does 250,000 birds look like?
I arrived at the car park at about 3.15pm and walked to the mere. I had the hide all to myself and I secretly hoped that would remain the case.
The mere was very calm with ducks, swans, gulls and moorhen floating on the surface, so quiet.

Then in the distance the starlings started to collect, and it looked as though the murmuration was going to take place at the far end of the mere.

All of a sudden there was a black noisy mass of birds right infront of the hide, just fantastic

and the noise wow!!!!

Then they all dropped into the reeds alongside the hide, the rush of wings stopped but the bedtime chatter didn't, you couldn't see them , but you could certainly hear them, thousands of starlings clinging to the reeds all talking to each other- just brilliant, - then the hide door opened and in walked another hopeful murmuration watcher, I had to tell him they had just settled down,  I hung around for another quarter of an hour with the hope of an encore, but it didn't come and I had to make my way back to the car park, so I bade farewell and left the still hopeful birdwatcher staring out over a very still and quiet mere.

Autumn surprises

walking down the lane this week
Cow parsley flowers April to June

and cow parsnip  or hogweed flowers June to August